NEW HELMSMAN: Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala having a word with Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at the swearing-in of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government in Chennai on Saturday. From right are Congress leader Veerappa Moily, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder Ramadoss and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee. - PHOTO: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN

CHENNAI: Minutes after Tamil Nadu Governor S.S. Barnala administered the oath of office and secrecy to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi and his 30-member minority Government here on Saturday, Mr. Karunanidhi announced the waiver of cooperative loans of farmers and a reduction in the price of PDS rice to Rs. 2 a kg.

Addressing people at a packed Nehru Indoor Stadium after the swearing-in ceremony, Mr. Karunanidhi said his party had promised that it would make available rice supplied through the Public Distribution System at Rs. 2 a kg. It was now being sold at Rs. 3.50 a kg.

He was fulfilling the promise, Mr. Karunanidhi said.

Rice scheme from June 3

Rice would be made available at the new price from June 3 (his birthday). This would entail an additional expenditure of Rs. 550 crore a year to the exchequer.

The DMK manifesto had made another promise — writing off of cooperative loans of farmers. His second order was to keep that promise — waiving the loans taken till March 31, 2006. Lakhs of farmers would benefit by this move, he said. This would cost the Government Rs. 6,866 crore.

Tribute to Kamaraj

Mr. Karunanidhi said the third promise to be implemented was the supply of an additional egg each week in the nutritious noon meal programme. Declaring the birthday of Kamaraj (July 15) as Education Day, Mr. Karunanidhi said the two-eggs-a-week scheme would be implemented from that day.

After his short speech, the Chief Minister said he was signing the orders for the three announcements before the people and affixed his signature on three files.

The swearing-in started with Chief Secretary N. Narayanan reading out the name of the Chief Minister-designate. The Governor administered the oaths of office and allegiance and secrecy to Mr. Karunanidhi.

The Chief Minister signed both the copies of the oaths, greeted the Governor, waved to the crowd and resumed his seat. Mr. Narayanan read out the names of the 30 other Ministers-designate, one by one in the order of seniority set out by Mr. Karunanidhi.

After the ceremony, many party leaders, MPs and civil society leaders greeted the Chief Minister and his team.

Pranab takes part

Congress Ministers in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet, Pranab Mukherjee and Jaipal Reddy; Indian Union Muslim League general secretary and Union Minister, E.Ahamed; leaders of parties in the Democratic Progressive Alliance and the Union Ministers from Tamil Nadu were among those who attended the function. A massive crowd had gathered at the venue in the morning. Scores of people had to watch the proceedings live on television as the stadium could not accommodate all.

The police had a tough time regulating the crowd. There was chaos for a while as the police looked helplessly at surging DMK cadres trying in vain to gain access to an already overflowing stadium by pulling down barricades.

Immediately after the function, all the Ministers, led by Mr. Karunanidhi, drove to Fort St. George, where the Secretariat is located, and assumed office. Before heading for the function, Mr. Karunanidhi paid floral tributes at the memorials of Periyar, Anna and Kamaraj.